Red Bull boss Christian Horner believes Lewis Hamilton's suggestions around making the grid more equal would be "incredibly hard to police".
The Mercedes driver suggested that no team should be able to get a jump on development for the following year's car, thus meaning there would be a date on which all outfits began their efforts. Hamilton has seen Red Bull race off into the distance whilst his team and others play catch up.
An early title victory would allow the Austrian team to remain on top of the sport as they'd be able to turn one eye to the following season whilst others are focusing on the current matter at hand. Hamilton has been able to enjoy those benefits when Mercedes were dominant, but is now on the other side of it.
Horner was keen to point that out before admitting it would be an impossible rule to keep track of. He said: “Well, he’s obviously talking from personal experience! I think it would be an incredibly hard thing to police. How on earth could you say ‘Right, August 1, go!’ How do you prevent people thinking about or working on next year’s cars?”
Hamilton was hit with a penalty in Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix, eventually finishing in eighth whilst Max Verstappen took a fifth straight win as he surges towards a third straight world championship. The Brit is also more than 100 points behind his rival and is clearly frustrated.
He had made his suggestion: “I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing for the next year’s car. So [say], August 1, that’s when everybody can start, so that no one can get an advantage from the next year. Because that sucks."
Verstappen though was quick to mock his fellow driver, who won six titles in a seven-year period as the Silver Arrows dominated the sport. The Dutchman claimed he doesn't remember Hamilton seeking a level playing field back then.
He said: "We weren't talking about that when he was winning his championships, right? So, I don't think we should now. That's how Formula One works. When you have a competitive car, it's great. But you also have to look ahead to the year next. It's normal because people behind us say these kind of things, but they should not forget when they were winning and how it was looking."
